This invention relates to self inking stamps of the kind used manually to impress an ink image of indicia on paper or other similar material.
Stamps have been used for many years to place the message, design or other indicia on paper repeatedly. For instance, such indications such as "copy", "confirmation" are commonly used in offices and placed on outgoing mail or mail in files. The indicia is usually enlarged and can be coloured for ready recognition on the paper.
Originally, stamps were made to pick up ink from a pad supplied for the purpose. The indicia consisted of lettering or design which was raised from a support so that the raised design would touch the ink, carry it to the paper, and pass the ink onto the paper when the stamp was pressed on the paper. The ink pad was a necessary part of the stamp and the two went together.
More recently, so called "self inking" stamps have become well known. These consist of a porous material used to make the indicia and carried on a support which itself carries ink. When the stamp is pressed on the paper, the action releases some ink through the indicia onto the paper. This can be repeated many times until the ink is exhausted. The ink supply can be replaced in some instances. These devices have gained a great deal of acceptance but do suffer from disadvantages. First of all, the porous indicia with the continuous supply of ink must be protected otherwise it will find its way onto anything it touches. This is commonly done by providing some kind of biased sleeve which extends beyond the indicia but which retracts automatically when the indicia is brought down onto the paper.
A more significant problem with stamps is the location of the stamp on the paper. Stamps commonly consist of a hand holder extending upwardly from the stamp and generally in the shape of the stamp. For instance, if the stamp is of rectangular form, the holder projects upwards in the shape of a rectangle for the user to hold. Consequently, there is a strong tendency for the stamp to go on unevenly because the user has no positive guide to ensure that the whole of the indicia is coming down simultaneously onto the paper. It is not uncommon to see inked indicia which are very strongly evident on the paper in part of the indicia and weak in other parts.
Yet another difficulty is the location. Because of the type of stamps available, they can not be placed on the paper and at the same time show where the indicia is going to be placed because the user's hand hides the stamp.
It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a simplified self inking stamp which can be positioned on the paper and applied with minimal possibility of misalignment of the stamp on the paper.